Where would you stay? First visit with little kids.

[Canchaser143]

Animal Kingdom Lodge might be my favorite place on the planet but I can't recommend it to someone needing to use the living room beds because those pull-outs are genuinely terrible, even for kids.

I would do an AKV 2 bedroom if it's in the budget or a 1 bedroom or Studio if you only needed one bed, but the sofa bed in the living room really really sucks.

My vote would be a Poly Studio or a Boulder Ridge 1 bedroom.

We love Saratoga but it definitely has kind of a retiree vibe and isn't what I'd call out as super special or magical for first-timers.

That is worry with AKL and BLT. My mother might disown me if I have her sleep on one of those sofa beds I wish we knew more details about the darn refurbs!

 

[Canchaser143]

We took ours at 4 and 1 and stayed at BLT in a 2br with the grandparents. Super-easy walk to MK, and easy monorail access for transfer to Epcot. We did a night before the grandparents came at CCV. The splash pad there was great and the boat to MK is fun. Since then we've had them at Jambo (amazing, and easy to get to Kidani for the pool), OKW (meh), and Poly (by far our favorite resort with the kids).

Beyond pool and splash pad, what else is important for you? For us, it's getting around with a double stroller, and that the youngest has needed to get back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon. So, though we typically have a car, logistics are still pretty important for us. That may help sway you one direction or another...

EDIT: concur with WinterSoldier. Those AK pull-outs are harsh. Mousekeeping may have mattress pads to help a little, but it still hurts.

Yeah I am starting to wonder if renting a car might be a good idea. Those midday breaks for naps are non negotiable, important for my sanity Having easy food options is also important.

 

[pks_domer]

That is worry with AKL and BLT. My mother might disown me if I have her sleep on one of those sofa beds I wish we knew more details about the darn refurbs!

If you've got the points, many of the studios at the Poly connect. That may be another option if you were considering Poly but couldn't get into the tower.

 

[Nikkimouse44]

My 4 and 6 year olds loved the pool at kidani!!! They also loved the 1 bedroom we stayed in last year.

We’re taking them to SSR, our home resort, in December, and back to Poly in April. They didn’t use the pool at poly last time but I’m sure they’ll love it this time. It might be too cold for the pool in December for SSR but when my husband and I went last May the pools were great and the splash pad area looked nice for the kids too

 

[Canchaser143]

For those that said BWV, what would you consider the situation like when you have a stroller? Is it an epic pain to go to the elevator?

 

[js]

With two little kids and a double or two strollers and everything that goes with it, I would chose a monorail line.
I personally love GFVs, even with littles, but if your goal is MK and possibly Epcot (which I would do with littles), I would
do monorail line.

If not monorail, I would do BWV or BCV and walk to MGM and Epcot.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[kgou]

The hallways at BWV can be long but I wouldn't say it's a pain to get to the elevator with a stroller at all. We love BWV with small kiddos just for the proximity to two parks. And I love the refurb!

For those that said BWV, what would you consider the situation like when you have a stroller? Is it an epic pain to go to the elevator?

 

[Simba's Mom]

We stayed at AKV-Kidani when the DGDs were 4 and 6, and they enjoyed seeing the animals-for a couple of days. After that, the thrill wore off. But they enjoyed the elevator.
Honestly, with little kids, someone on these boards said it best-they'll like where there's chairs to try out, new things to see, Mom and Dad to play with, maybe a TV to watch cartoons (one of our sons didn't, that's why I said "maybe"). We stayed at OKW once with 4 and 2 yo DGDs, and they loved sitting around the big table on the back porch with everyone, watching the ducks. I'm not recommending OKW-I'm saying that wherever they stay at that age, they'll find something to love.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

For those that said BWV, what would you consider the situation like when you have a stroller? Is it an epic pain to go to the elevator?

YES! We did not like BWV at all during the stroller days.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

We stayed at Kidani when my kids were 3 and 1-almost-2 and it was phenomenal. My older son played on the splash pad for hours, my younger son loved the pool and some of the lower impact splash pad areas.

The biggest difference between DLR and WDW with small kids is the transportation. It’s awful by comparison to DLR’s lovely ability to just walk to the parks, and it often has long waits, which i have found intolerable with impatient kids. I strongly recommend renting a car and taking it to AK, Epcot, and DHS, and only using the Disney buses to MK. It’s also a million times easier to get a sleeping kid transferred in and out of a car than a bus, and a lot easier to manage the stroller in a car.

Renting a car would be my recommendation at any resort, and as long as you have one, Kidani becomes an incredible option, with the parking garage under the building, so you can park close to whichever elevator takes you closest to your room.

Next best option IMO is Poly. The pools at GF and BLT are disappointing compared to Poly and AKL, so Poly is the best Monorail option for small children to me.

SSR is also a strong option if you’re renting a car, it has 3 different splash pads so you can find your favorite one.

Came here to second this. If you don’t want to rent a car and will rely solely on Disney transportation I would personally avoid all bus-only resorts. IMO, it’s just too taxing with the strollers, BWV, or even Riviera, would be better options.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

YES! We did not like BWV at all during the stroller days.

Oh interesting - I’ve had no issues with our stroller.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Oh interesting - I’ve had no issues with our stroller.

Not everyone likes to have to take the more round about way to get around the resort with the strollers, plus some rooms make it even more annoying than others.

 

[TCRAIG]

For a MK and Epcot heavy park emphasis- especially with little - I would 100% go with a monorail resort - especially BLT and VGF - nothing beats being able to walk to MK…

 

[Canchaser143]

Not everyone likes to have to take the more round about way to get around the resort with the strollers, plus some rooms make it even more annoying than others.

It does look like there are some long walks to elevator depending on which room you get

 

[bakerworld]

With kids that age, any resort would be fine. Back in the day, we stayed in the trailers JIC we needed to deal with nighttime bed drama. When I realized that by bedtime we were all exhausted, we switched to hotels with cool pools. Present day, all the resorts have cool pools and zero entry. The real question is how much resort time is anticipated, which I would think DL stays would give an indication, although WDW is much larger than DL. Rather than the resort, insure the stroller is ventilated and has a stroller fan.

 

[RickNJane]

We took our grandkids (4 and 7) to BLT. They had a blast. Not the biggest pool, but was just right for them. We walked back and forth to MK often returning to MK in the evening after another park visit. They also enjoyed movies we got from the clubhouse. I did not know how many tinker bell movies there were!

 

[matt and beth]

Another vote for AKV

 

[CarolynFH]

It does look like there are some long walks to elevator depending on which room you get

Oh yes, I was happy to transfer the Longest Hallways title to Kidani, even though it was only a psychological change, not physical. Those hikes from elevator to room at the end of a long day, with blisters….

 

[sndral]

I’ve only stayed at BWV once & ended up in a 1 br. far far away from the elevators down a narrow twisting hallway from the lobby on an upper floor. There’s only the one bank of elevators & I saw a couple of folks almost come to blows about who was getting in an elevator & who wasn’t, of course you could use the stroller as a battering ram to your advantage (kidding) . The BWV 1 br.s are spacious & the location is great for DHS which w/ Toystoryland I assume will be a must visit for OP & walking into Epcot from the International gate is so nice!
Regarding Riviera & the Skyliner, I know single strollers roll on, but do double strollers fit on the regular gondolas or do you have to fold them?
I’m planning 2 extended family trips in the next 18 months. Trip one will include two 9 year olds & a five year old. That group will stay at AKV Jambo (refurb construction schedule allowing) partly because those kids love animals, but mostly because it’s one of my home resorts. I think they’ll enjoy Jambo’s pool & I plan to use the shuttle to visit Kidani’s splash area as well which I think they’ll adore. It’ll be a hassle because it’s bus only, but w/ only 1 single stroller to collapse for the buses & the occasional Uber/Lyft for mid day breaks, I think we’ll be ok w/out renting a car.
Trip two will include a 9 year old & a 3 year old & will be at my other home resort, the VGF. The 9 year old in this group is princess crazy & I think will love the GF. The 3 year old will love the splash area & moving the huge chess pieces around. We are west coast based & all of the kids have been on multiple DL trips, so being near MK isn’t that important. Again w/ one single stroller & the occasional use of Uber/Lyft for breaks on DHS/AK days I think we’ll be fine w/out a rental car.

 

[CarolynFH]

Regarding Riviera & the Skyliner, I know single strollers roll on, but do double strollers fit on the regular gondolas or do you have to fold them?

Side by side doubles have to be folded, but I believe the tandem "one behind the other" double strollers can just roll on, because they're the width of a single stroller.